Celestial Timepiece

Two early issues of Ontario Review — the distinguished literary journal co-founded in 1974 by Raymond J. Smith and  Joyce Carol Oates — are newly available online.

Conceived as a North American Journal of the Arts, Ontario Review sought to foster dialogue between English-language literary and artistic cultures of the United States and Canada, publishing established voices alongside emerging writers in fiction, poetry, essays, interviews, reviews, and visual arts. The journal ran until 2008 and earned recognition for its selective editorial standards and its role in nurturing new talent.

No. 2, Spring–Summer 1975

This early issue of the North American literary journal features standout poetry from Pulitzer Prize-winner Richard Wilbur, cult icon Charles Bukowski, influential Canadian poet Irving Layton, and respected critic-poet M. L. Rosenthal. Accompanied by fiction, essays (including George Woodcock), reviews, and visual work with Brad Iverson’s “Nine Photographs,” the volume showcases a dynamic blend of established and emerging voices in 1970s poetry and prose.

View Ontario Review issue no. 2

No. 3, Fall–Winter 1975–76

Highlights include an in-depth interview with Nobel laureate Saul Bellow, renowned environmentalist-poet Wendell Berry, acclaimed American poet David Ignatow, and celebrated Peruvian modernist César Vallejo (in translation). Fiction by Governor General’s Award-winning Canadian novelist Marian Engel appears alongside contributions from established poets Theodore Weiss and Frederick Morgan, graphics by Terry W. Self and Bela Egyedi, essays, and reviews.

View Ontario Review issue no. 3

Additional issues of Ontario Review are archived at USF Gleeson Library’s Scholarship Repository, and more issues will be forthcoming.